Workshop Packages
By offering a number of workshop packages, Uasuf Gueye is able to meet a variety of needs. These fun yet informative workshops are geared toward helping students enhance learning skills and character strengths through the study of West African musical instruments and history. These instruments have been proven to help in the development of skills such as critical thinking, eye, hand, and ear coordination, basic math skills, and the overall ability to focus. Students will also learn the basics of how the instruments are built, notation and tuning, as well as techniques for playing.
"Mandinka Bala"
The Mandinka Bala workshop is an exhilarating introduction to the world of playing the African xylophone traditionally known as the Bala. Students will learn information on how to build and create melodies using the fundamentals of music theory.
“The Melody of Djembe"
The Djembe is a hand drum played by the Manding people of West Africa. This hourglass shaped percussion is played in an orchestra that includes multiple Djembe drums and three types of bass drums called Dundun. This high-energy workshop allows students a chance to express themselves while learning traditional rhythms along with the history of each rhythm. The Djembe package also includes lessons on polyrhythms and is a great way for students to gain a basic understanding of the percussive side of Manding music.
"The Full Orchestra Package"
This workshop brings different instruments from the Mali Empire together to create the full orchestra experience. Students will learn compositions from the repertoire of the royal musicians of ancient Mali as played in their original traditional context. This package includes instruments such as Balafon, Djembe, Dundun, and voice. It allows the opportunity for students to observe the role of each instrument and the relationship between the instruments as the compositions grow. This workshop teaches rhythms of the Djembe repertoire as played within the context of a complete Manding orchestra.
​